A residential airpark (also spelled air park) is a "fly-in community" specifically designed around an airport where the residents own their privately owned airplanes which they park in their hangars, usually attached to the home or integrated into their home. A residential airpark features one or more runways with homes adjacent to the runway or taxiways. Many fly-in communities feature a variety of amenities, such as golf course, equestrian facilities and more. Residential airparks are usually privately owned and restricted to use by the property owners and their invited guests. Most do not include commercial operations or businesses. The communities have also become a niche real estate market, with some firms dedicated solely to these developments.
Ideas for airparks existed as early as 1944 and the first airpark was Sierra Sky Park in Fresno, California, established in 1946.[1][2] The Living With Your Plane Association estimates that there are at least 426 residential airparks in the United States. Florida is estimated to have 52 airparks, followed by Washington with 50, California with 28, and Oregon with 23.[3]
^"Aviation Country Clubs Planned". Aviation News. Vol. 1, no. 37. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 10 April 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
^Parquette, Larry (2001-06-01). "50-Year Flight of Fancy". Plane & Pilot Magazine. Archived from the original on 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2019-12-18. Sierra Sky Park, the first-ever residential airpark, was born.
